Alzheimer's patient still plays beautiful music

Retired teacher volunteers as hospital pianist

John Scott, 65, scans the room quickly, then lowers his head to focus on the piano keys.

In a few seconds, the sounds of Gershwin fill the room, which is lit by a skylight and decorated with plush chairs and soothing colors.

The room is in a hospital, the outpatient lobby of Edward Hospital in Naperville. And Scott, 65, a former longtime music teacher in Naperville who now suffers from Alzheimer's disease, is a volunteer who plays three days a week.

His family is grateful for the "job," which they say gets him out of the house and forces him to focus on his beloved songs and the discipline of practicing. For Scott, playing is a way he can help other people, especially people who are stressed by going to a hospital.

"It's an activity, you can share with other people," he said. "The people who come into Edward Hospital are worse off than I am. I think [playing the piano] has a very positive influence on people."

A retired teacher from Washington Junior High in Naperville, Scott also spent decades playing formal parties in opulent houses on Chicago's North Shore and entertaining at dinner parties.

His specialty is light jazz, show tunes and music by Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin.

But since 1994, Alzheimer's symptoms have taken away some of Scott's ability to function and play the piano with his usual perfection.

Scott and his wife, Betty, who is also a music teacher, no longer eat in restaurants because he forgets which utensil to use. In public areas, he doesn't know which way to turn when he leaves a restroom. And even at home, he gets disoriented and cannot complete small tasks, such as dialing a telephone.

"But you go and talk to him about this and that, and where did you go today? What happened on the news? And he can hold the most intelligent conversations with you," said his daughter, Beth Anne Hardy of Ohio. "But really, he forgets how to spell. Forgets how to write."

Scott's struggle with the debilitating illness is heartbreaking because his mastery of the keyboard is legendary.

His pupils at Washington Junior High knew his talent was special.

"He definitely could capture anyone's attention," said Carol Pradel, the daughter of Naperville Mayor George Pradel and a student of Scott's in the late 1970s. "If two kids were talking in class, they stopped the minute he hit those keys. ... He would get their full, undivided attention."

Pradel said that during their choir concerts, the parents in the audience seemed to enjoy his playing -- especially his piano solos-- more than the kids' singing.

"He was just amazing," she said. "He had such an ear. He could tell you any note."

A student of music history, Scott was planning on teaching college. But he and his wife instead came to Naperville, where they raised their two children and taught hundreds of children. Betty Scott still teaches children on the grand piano in the front room of their home near North Central College in Naperville.

"I think he did a fabulous job of teaching junior high," she said. "He really likes the junior high kids, really got to them very well."

Betty Scott said her husband's concentration has increased recently because of his playing.

"I think he's playing better because he has to," said Betty Scott.

In fact, doctors say that any sort of brain activity has a positive affect on patients who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's. Many times, it is sometimes easier for people with the brain disorder to remember events that were processed years earlier instead of remembering the day-to-day activities.

"People think it affects your whole brain," said Dr. John Saran, a geriatric specialist at Edward Hospital, of Alzheimer's related disorders. "Things like music are locked away in other parts of the brain, and actually might be preserved."

Scott's persona in front of a crowd has not changed. Every bit the professional, he cuts an elegant look with his starched pants and shirt. He takes a few breaks, but is quickly back at the piano, sorting through the stack of music he brings with him.

Though Scott concedes that he would prefer getting paid for his job, just like he always did, he feels it is important to give his best to his audience.

"You can't decide, `Well, this doesn't count for a lot of money,'" he said. "You can't do that if you're playing for people. I would never fluff it off."